During his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), President Trump’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, vowed that if he’s approved, he’ll try and persuade Trump to cut entitlements.
Asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) if he agrees that younger workers may have to work more years to “save” the Social Security program, Mulvaney replied, “I have already told my children to prepare for exactly that.” Mulvaney also replied in the affirmative when asked by Graham if he supports raising the retirement age for Social Security.
Mulvaney’s position on entitlements differs significantly from what President Trump promised during his campaign.
“[I will] save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts,” Trump said during the June 2015 speech that launched his campaign. “Have to do it… People have been paying in for years, and now many of these candidates want to cut it.”
Last June, Trump told a crowd in Phoenix, “We’re going to save your Social Security without killing it like so many people want to do, and your Medicare.”
The inconsistency between Trump’s statements and the position of the person he’s nominated to be his budget director was highlighted by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
“Will you tell the president of the United States — Mr. President, keep your word, be honest with the American people, do not cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?” Sanders asked.
But Mulvaney suggested he isn’t concerned about promises Trump made during his campaign.
“The only thing I know to do is to tell the president the truth,” he replied. “And the truth is that if we do not reform these programs that are so important to your constituents in Vermont and to mine in South Carolina, I believe in nine or 10 years the Medicaid trust fund is empty. And in roughly 17 or 18 years, the Social Security trust fund is empty.”
In response, Sanders pointed out that there are ways to ensure the long-term solvency of entitlement programs besides slashing benefits.
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